The Stone Lion Inn is a haunted home in Guthrie, Oklahoma. It was built in 1907 by F.E. Houghton, the founder of Cotton Oil Company and owner of the first car dealership in Oklahoma.
The Houghtons started out in a little house that once was located on the lot next door on the east side of the Inn. The Houghtons had 12 children, and all survived childhood except for one daughter, who died before the family moved into the Stone Lion Inn.
Becky Luker purchased the Stone Lion Inn in 1986 and converted the house into the first bed-and-breakfast in Oklahoma. Back in the 1920s, the house was leased to Smith’s Funeral Home and was used as a mortuary. You can imagine what’s coming next…
The Smiths lived upstairs and the embalming was done in what is now the inn’s kitchen. Today, the owner uses the beautiful porcelain embalming table as a hallway buffet where guests can help themselves to refreshments throughout the day.
Supposedly, the Houghton daughter haunts the Inn. The girl was 8 years old when she died of whooping cough. It is believed that the maid overmedicated her with cough syrup. The medication had codeine and opium, which was once common. Guests have reported being awakened at night between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., when a small child comes into the room and pats them on the cheek, but when they are fully awake, no one is there.
Another ghost is an older gentleman who is recognized by the scent of his cigar smoke. He wears a suit and a derby-like hat. A ghost woman haunts the wedding suite, and laughter sometimes can be heard around 4 a.m. on a regular basis.
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